


Lonely Old Souls

by Moon_Drop



Category: Puyo Puyo (Video Games)
Genre: Character Study, Heart-to-Heart, Introspection, M/M, Schezo’s POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 04:50:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18843985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_Drop/pseuds/Moon_Drop
Summary: Satan and Schezo have a good talk about the true reason why they pursue Arle so relentlessly.





	Lonely Old Souls

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Schezo/Satan Drabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13463001) by [sunnymatsu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnymatsu/pseuds/sunnymatsu). 



> This is a direct sequel to sunnymatsu’s second drabble in the linked work (Contemplations). It’s set immediately after the end of it, so please go read it first!

A long silence floated between the two. It was… unusual, to say the least, for either of them to discuss their true feelings, let alone with each other. But somehow, someway, the two men had grown weary enough that their defenses had been lowered. And so Satan spoke first, his eyes shifting to the side.

“I thought… There was no way Carbunny could ever steer me toward the wrong path. That my Arly…” He sighed. “…Surely Arly should be the one for me, if Carbunny has stuck with her for so long. And yet, no matter how hard I try to make her mine, she resists all my advances. But… Why do I care so much in the first place? Shouldn’t this be easier, if we are meant to be together? If Carbunny won’t choose someone else, then am I simply not worthy of anyone’s love?”

In any other circumstance, Schezo would have suppressed an urge to mock Satan’s melodramatic attitude, but his own introspective mood had inclined him to humor Satan’s own. And Satan looked so uncharacteristically dejected, his shoulders drooping and his usual confident tone replaced by one of doubt. Schezo felt he should attempt to comfort him.

“Well, Rulue loves you,” he said. As soon as the words left his mouth, an odd tinge of… something tore at his heart. Was it jealousy? There was no way, right? What would he even be jealous _of_? No, it had to be _disgust_.  
“But I do not love her,” Satan replied. He went quiet for a few seconds, deep in thought. “…Not in the way she loves me, anyway.”

… “Not in the way she loves me.” Did Satan love her in a different way, then?

“As for me…” Schezo began, filling the silence that had once again fallen over the two, “I’ve been chasing after Arle’s power for ages. But… I’m strong. I should have obtained it by now… Why would a mere girl resist me for so long? Maybe… I haven’t been trying hard enough.”

At this point, he was thinking out loud, no longer paying attention to Satan by his side. He didn’t even care that what he said had little to do with the question they’d asked each other.

“Maybe I don’t _want_ to try hard enough. Because I don’t want the consequences that come with it.”

He’d just said that on a whim, but he took a few seconds to stop and really think things through to their logical conclusion. To obtain Arle’s power would mean ending her life with his own two hands, and that thought was unbearable. He didn’t realize that his hands had tightened up into fists as he pictured the young girl, defeated at his feet, life seeping out from her through a wound inflicted by his sword. He’d never really allowed himself to think about this in such graphic detail—until now.

“… I guess… love takes different forms,” Schezo finally said, shaking his head with a grimace to try and dispel the horrible mental picture. Thankfully, the warmth of Satan’s hand over his helped to ground him back to reali—

His mind ground to a halt.

“W-Why are you—” he sputtered, his cheeks burning as he desperately attempted to pull his hand away from Satan’s. Satan’s grasp didn’t let up, though. His serious expression was even scarier than the dark thoughts Schezo’s brain had just conjured.

“Schezo.” He sounded grave, and his gaze was now bearing straight into Schezo’s eyes. “I believe… I understand what you mean.”

Schezo gulped, shifting on his seat uncomfortably.

“I know… I’m much older than you,” he continued, “but still, you’re older than any normal human. Surely you must understand how lonely it feels. Time does odd things to a mind.”

Satan fell silent for a while, so Schezo prodded him further, too curious to drop the matter.

“What are you getting at?”  
“I mean… could it be that we’re simply… lonely?”

Lonely… Could a Dark Mage be lonely?

“Allow me to elaborate.” Satan spoke quietly, a far cry from his usual bravado. “You and I have been chasing after Arly for a while now, without success. I thought perhaps Arly would come around, eventually, if I just kept trying to sway her. But perhaps… Perhaps that is not fair to her.”  
“Of course not,” Schezo piped up. “She doesn’t love you back. Don’t you realize what you’ve been doing to her is the same thing Rulue’s been doing to you?”  
“I… I suppose it is.” Satan seemed genuinely taken aback, as if he’d never entertained the thought before.  
“And do you plan on giving in to Rulue any time soon? Or… ever?” Schezo pressed on.  
“… I do not think so.”  
“Then why should Arle be any different?!”

This time, Schezo tore his hand away from Satan’s in a fit of unexpected anger. The demon looked crestfallen.

“I’ve been… foolish, haven’t I?” he muttered, his gaze avoidant.

Schezo almost immediately regretted his outburst. He, too, had been hounding Arle for ages. Wasn’t it hypocritical of him to act this way all of a sudden?

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Schezo said bitterly. He was agreeing on his own behalf, too.

Neither of them said anything for a while, lost in thought. Eventually, Satan’s voice broke the silence.

“Schezo. What did you mean earlier? When you said ‘ _love takes different forms_ ’…”

Schezo was quick to answer—he knew what to say, this time.

“I thought all I cared about was power. But if that were true, why haven’t I taken hold of Arle’s magic yet? She’s strong, but not so strong that I couldn’t best her in combat if I gave it my all. The answer is that… I must care more about her well-being than I do her magic. Isn’t that… love?”  
“… I see. Yes, I’d say so.”

Schezo had braced himself for Satan to call him a pervert and launch into one of his self-aggrandizing monologues about how Arle belonged to him and him only, so his actual answer threw him for a loop.

“W-Wait, what?”  
“Tell me, what would happen if you stopped chasing Arly’s power?” Satan asked, ignoring Schezo’s confusion.  
“What would— well, that’s obvious! I guess I’d… I’d just…”

What _would_ Schezo do? Well, maybe it’d be for the best. Maybe he could _finally_ get the peace and quiet he craved. Find himself a nice cave to hide in, and never have to talk to anyone ever again. He could just stop caring about all the nonsense Arle, Satan, Rulue, and everyone else always put him through. At last, solitude for all eternity — just like he wanted.

…

… But.

He looked up. Satan was staring at him, immobile, waiting patiently for his answer. Schezo tried to picture a world in which he’d never see the demon’s smug face ever again. No more ridiculous plans to foil. No more convenient “enemy” for him to grandstand at. What a dull life that would be…

“I… I guess I would be lonely. Without all of you.” His mouth formed the words his mind refused to spell out.  
“Then, do you mean to say that you… love… us?” Satan continued to prod him.

Schezo wanted to say no, he really did. There was no room for love of any kind in a Dark Mage’s heart, after all; only power. But again, his mouth betrayed him.

“… That’s probably it, huh.”

Of course, there was more than just romantic love to life. The love he felt for Arle was more like that of a big brother, or perhaps a father. As for Rulue, it was harder to tell. That odd feeling kept bubbling up when he thought of her, but he had no idea what it meant, and it was irritating. He didn’t dislike the girl, but he didn’t _understand_ his reaction.

And Satan, well—

“I wonder… if our chasing after Arly wasn’t simply…”

Schezo continued Satan’s thought. “… an excuse?”

“… Yes. A mere excuse for us to find purpose in our never-ending lives. A quest doomed to fail from the outset, for circumstances outside of our control—her rejections, and your emotions.”  
“How long have you been thinking about this?” Schezo asked, surprised at how wise the usually shallow Satan suddenly sounded.  
“To be honest, I’ve been keeping those thoughts at bay for a while. But I suppose they had to come out eventually. ” Satan’s voice was somber.  
“I… I never would have thought there was more to you than just… pursuing Arle like a lovestruck fool.”  
“But it did have other benefits. Wouldn’t you agree, Schezo?”

Strictly speaking, it _did_ force him to come into contact with her, Rulue, Satan and everyone else on a regular basis. His apparent reluctance to do so was a convenient way to conceal his feelings from them… and, above all, from himself. Besides, it’s not like he had anyone else, or really _anything_ else, in his life. Did Satan feel the same way? Schezo considered answering Satan’s question with a “yes”, but stopped himself. He wasn’t about to blindly agree without knowing exactly what Satan had in mind.

“What are you even trying to say?”

Satan closed his eyes and took a deep breath before responding.

“Perhaps my plans’ true purpose was simply to quell my loneliness. Even if it had to be through open hostility and Puyo Battles. Don’t you feel the same way?”

Schezo wondered if he had imagined the tremor in his voice. Satan’s neutral face didn’t help him figure it out.

“I guess… I guess I do.”

He didn’t like admitting it. And to Satan of all people? This was nothing short of ridiculous. If he had been told the day before that this conversation would happen, he would have laughed hard enough to pass out. And yet there was no doubt in his mind — this was real.

Something warm touched his hand and his whole body froze instantly. He looked at it, and once again found Satan’s hand resting on top of his. Why did he keep doing that, anyway? Schezo mentally shook himself out of his temporary paralysis and forced his gaze back up to meet Satan’s expectant face.

“Then… Do you think it might be time for us to leave Arle alone?” Satan said.

The mood had definitely shifted to… something. Schezo wasn’t sure why, but his face started burning up, and his heart felt like it was about to burst from his chest. Satan looked so grave that it was throwing him off.

“B-But,” Schezo protested meekly, distracted by the feeling on his hand, “what would we even do?”  
“Don’t we have plenty of time to figure that out?”  
“I guess…”

It was becoming increasingly difficult for Schezo to tear his focus away from the gentle weight on his hand. It could just as well have been the weight of a building, because he couldn’t move.

“Hey, why do you keep doing… that, with your hand?” He had to know. Satan was acting way too strange.

Schezo couldn’t believe what his eyes showed him: Satan _blushed_. It was hardly an unusual sight; he’d always look like this whenever he was going on and on about his plans for his dear Arly. But this conversation was not about her — not anymore. It was about… them.

“I wonder if I wasn’t trying to stay close to you, Schezo. I… This might be what my heart was seeking all along.”  
“WH-WH-WHAT ARE YOU EVEN—” Schezo shouted in a panic, unable to restrain his shock at what Satan was implying. A dark shadow passed over Satan’s eyes, and a cold feeling came over Schezo. Regret? For once, Satan looked genuinely hurt by Schezo’s words, not simply wounded in his misplaced pride. He removed his hand from the dark mage’s, shrinking in shame. Seeing him like this felt so _wrong_ …

“W-Wait. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I just…” Schezo faltered, scrambling to put words together as quickly as possible to apologize. “I… This is really weird for me, I-I think I need to think about this.”

Schezo berated himself for sounding so uncertain, but Satan simply nodded in response. Did he look hopeful, or was Schezo imagining things?

Schezo dove into his thoughts once more, this time stopping to consider his relationship with Satan. He thought the old man was incredibly obnoxious. His absurd plans were an endless inconvenience to everyone, but… They did bring everyone together, didn’t they? Maybe he was good for something.

And, well, he had to admit that Satan had some appealing traits about him. It was hard to deny that he was good-looking, for one. Even if he put his resourcefulness to use for incredibly pointless things, and his obsessiveness toward the worst possible outcome… Speaking of obsessiveness, Rulue was much the same.

And that feeling gripped him again. _WHAT_ was it? He tried to picture the unlikely scenario of Satan and Rulue, walking together hand in hand underneath the starry night sky — a combination of both of their dreams.

And Schezo _hated it_. Because it was love, perhaps? No… He didn’t mind love, not really. He had to be honest with himself.

The memory of the warmth of Satan’s hand gripped his mind, inescapable. With it, his heart sped up again. Well, one way to figure this thing out.

“Satan, can you put your hand back?” Schezo asked urgently.  
“O-Of course,” Satan replied, his eyes widening in surprise. He obliged sheepishly, and his face lit up in an odd, restrained sort of way. Like this made him happy, but he didn’t want to show it quite yet.

Schezo found this oddly… endearing. Did he really mind all of this? Was it so bad if Satan was getting at… _this_?

Schezo covered Satan’s hand with his free one, and with a start, Satan let out a gasp.

“Schezo, you…”

There was no doubt now. That was cautious hopefulness. And that blush was unmistakable. He _really_ was getting at this.

“Maybe I don’t mind… us figuring this out together,” Schezo said slowly. He felt like he was diving into the deep, dark unknown, but…

They had all the time in the world to make something work, didn’t they?

Satan blinked in shock, but soon after a smile graced his face. A smile the likes of which Schezo had never seen before. It was nothing like his habitual smug expression; instead, it was radiant, as if Schezo’s words had lit a bonfire of joy in his heart. A warm feeling spread through Schezo’s whole body, and he returned an hesitant smile of his own.

“Schezo…” Satan whispered, his shaky voice overflowing with emotion. “I… Thank you.”  
“I… I have no idea what I’m doing, honestly.”  
“Then, shall I take the lead?”

A bit of Satan’s confidence had begun flowing back into his tone. Schezo cocked his head in anticipation.

“I… I guess?”

Satan took a deep breath once again, and before Schezo’s mind could even register what was happening, the other man’s face had invaded his personal space. His lips were so close to his own that he could feel the warmth emanating from them. Well. Even though Schezo wasn’t exactly well-versed in matters of love and romance, he knew that if he didn’t move, his first kiss was about to happen, right then and there. But he’d already made his decision.

… Schezo stayed still, and Satan’s lips met his. The soft, gentle touch sent shockwaves of heat through his cheeks that spread to his whole body. He thought he was about to melt from sheer embarrassment. But some sort of instinct told him to close his eyes and lean into the kiss, and so he did.

Schezo had abandoned all hopes of this day being even remotely close to normal, but maybe that was okay. Maybe trying new things and breaking out of his usual habits… was just fine, if it meant something like this.

When they pulled away from each other, Schezo got a good look at Satan’s face. There were tears glistening in his eyes, but there was no doubt that his expression was one of glee. Seeing him so happy, because of him, was the strangest thing he’d possibly ever seen in his life, but… it was nice. He could get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> sunnymatsu, I hope you don’t mind me having written this as a direct sequel to your fic; I got inspired and couldn’t help but continue based off your premise. I already had all these headcanons about the Madou cast before reading your drabble, but it really helped me because I had no idea where to start otherwise.
> 
> The mood veered into something a lot more serious… I’m toying with some kind of sequel to this about Rulue’s reaction, because I’ve been thinking about her a lot. It would be a lot longer than this, so maybe look forward to that if I ever get around to writing it.


End file.
